Muddy boots, wet boots, icy boots--no
problem.
by Williams, Robert H.
* The Special Operations Command is due to receive 10,000 pairs of
rugged boots that were conceived for use in unusually harsh locales.
The Tora Bora Alpine Boot, which was developed by Bates Footwear of
Rockford, Mich., a division of Wolverine World Wide Inc., will he used
by special operations forces in the mountains of Afghanistan and other
high altitude climes. This combat boot, according to a spokesman,
"integrates new technologies that were developed to meet the needs
of the U.S. military with commercially available design and construction
innovations that have been tested and adopted by extreme
mountaineers."
The Tora Bora boot specifically was engineered for use in snow,
arid desert sand, steep muddy slopes and sheer rock face.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Geared for use in a wide range of temperatures, the footwear also
is meant to work with tools special ops forces employ in ski warfare,
ice climbing and snowshoeing across alpine snow.
COPYRIGHT 2008 National Defense Industrial
Association Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights
reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.